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Wells Fargo Center
The Wells Fargo CenterIt's officially the Wells Fargo CenterFlyers' arena undergoes name change from Wachovia to Wells Fargo Center is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The arena was formerly known as Spectrum II (prior to construction), CoreStates Center, First Union Center and Wachovia Center. The arena was completed in 1996, on what was once the site of John F. Kennedy Stadium (originally Philadelphia Municipal Stadium) at a cost of $206 million, largely privately financed (though the city and state helped to pay for the local infrastructure). The building lies at the southwest corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which comprises its predecessor for several sports teams, the Spectrum, Lincoln Financial Field, and Citizens Bank Park. It is the home arena of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, and the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. History Before its construction, the proposed arena was tentatively called "Spectrum II".Philadelphia Daily News Business Buzz Column. (Originated from Philadelphia Daily News) The arena was originally named for CoreStates Bank, which agreed to pay $40 million over 21 years for the naming rights, with additional terms to be settled later for an additional eight-year period at the end of the contract. The naming rights were assumed by First Union Bank in a merger in 1998 and then by Wachovia Bank in a 2003 merger with First Union. On July 1, 2010, the naming rights were officially switched to Wells Fargo, and the building became officially known as the Wells Fargo Center."The Building the Flyers and Sixers Play in" Prepares for Yet Another New Name". February 12, 2010. The700Level.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28. On July 27, 2010, workers began removing the blue "Wachovia Center" letters from the building facade. Installation of the new "Wells Fargo Center" signs were completed in time for the next scheduled show on September 14, 2010.PhillyDeals: Sixers-Flyers arena gets a new name—again Wells Fargo currently has its name on two other arenas, Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe) on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona, and Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines) in Des Moines, Iowa. The latter is managed by Global Spectrum, which also manages the Wells Fargo Center.Overview (Arenas). Global Spectrum. Retrieved 2010-09-25. Facilities The Center officially seats 20,444 for basketball (NBA, NCAA) and 19,537 for hockey (NHL) and indoor ("box") lacrosse (NLL), although with additional standing-room admissions available in suites for purchase by their lease holders the total paid capacity is actually somewhat greater. The Wells Fargo Center has 126 luxury suites, 1,880 club seats, and a variety of restaurants and clubs (both public and private) available for use by patrons. In addition, the offices, studios, and production facilities of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia are all located in the facility. On June 9, 2010, the Center set the record for the highest attendance for a hockey game in the state of Pennsylvania (20,327) when the Flyers lost Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks.Flyers break single-season attendance record The Center also set a record for the highest attendances for a college basketball game in the state of Pennsylvania on February 13, 2006, when Villanova University played and defeated the #1 ranked University of Connecticut before a crowd of 20,859.Connecticut vs. Villanova - Box Score On August 1, 2006, Comcast Spectacor announced it would be installing a new center-hung scoreboard to replace the original one made by Daktronics. The new scoreboard, manufactured by ANC Sports is similar to other scoreboards in new NHL & NBA arenas. An additional linear LED display lining the entire arena was also installed between the suite and mezzanine levels. Other renovations for the building's 10th year anniversary included upgrading the suites with more flat screen HDTV's, as well as changing ticket providers from Ticketmaster to New Era Tickets, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor. The PA announcer at the Wells Fargo Center for Philadelphia Flyers games is Lou Nolan, who moved with the team from the Spectrum, where he had worked since 1972. Matt Cord is the PA announcer for Philadelphia 76ers games. Kevin Scholla is the PA announcer for Villanova basketball games. Concerts On August 12, 1996, a private concert by Ray Charles was performed with an crowd of nearly 12,000. Each spectator was given a commemorative key acknowledging they helped "open the arena". The inaugural concert, on September 2, 1996, featured Oasis with Manic Street Preachers and Screaming Trees, before an estimated crowd of 12,000. The Center has held other concerts by many famous artists. On December 6, 2002, hard rock band Guns N' Roses was scheduled to perform there on their Chinese Democracy Tour. The opening bands CKY and Mixmaster Mike went on to perform as usual, but the main act, Guns N' Roses, never showed up, fueling a riot in the arena and causing about $30,000 to $40,000 in damage. No reason was ever given for the non-appearance by Guns N' Roses, other than the public announcement that one of the band members was sick. In 2006, Billy Joel set a complex record for most sellouts at the Center, 17, for a Philadelphia total of 46. Only The Grateful Dead have sold out more shows at the Complex, 53, all at the now-closed Spectrum. In addition, hanging from the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center are two banners in the orange and black colors of the Flyers honoring both Billy Joel's 48 Philadelphia sellouts and Bruce Springsteen's 51 Philadelphia sellouts. References External links *Official website Category:Venues LTJ have played Category:Links to Wikipedia